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Failings in our Prisons
from Oremus March 2023
Bishop Richard Moth, Lead Bishop for Prisons at the Bishops' Conference, has welcomed a new report by Pact, the national Catholic prison charity, which amplifies the voices of families supporting unwell loved ones in prison. Titled 'Nobody's Listening', the report asserts that involving families more proactively in prisoners' healthcare would reduce deaths in custody, relieve pressure on the NHS and the criminal justice system, and cut crime.
The report finds that when families are involved in the process everyone benefits – prisoners, families, the criminal justice system and the NHS. When the system works well it can have a positive impact on people's health, allowing prisoners to access previously unavailable support. However, the report concludes that families and significant others are too often locked out of a system that doesn't value their role as carers. This creates a range of problems – the ripple effects of which are felt well beyond the prison gates.
The Bishop said: ‘This new research reveals the central importance of family involvement in keeping prisoners safe and healthy and re-affirms the dignity of the human person and especially the importance of family relationships. Much more needs to be done to ensure more proactive and positive family engagement.’
Recommendations include:
• Diverting more appropriately riskassessed people with mental health problems to community treatment and secure treatment settings
• Training for staff to ensure that they understand how to involve family members
• A single point of contact in every prison to champion the role of families in the healthcare process
Andy Keen-Downs, CEO of Pact, said: ‘All the research and guidance stress the crucial role that families have in caring for loved-ones who are ill. Families bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge – they know what “well” looks like and understand the subtle signs that someone is struggling. We found examples where the system works well and people's health had improved while they were in
